Recently, a coach in a well-known university in the South has been fired.

The reason she was holding a Bible study with the athletes in her group after working hours,

when one person objected the coach was fired.

Not so long ago, a Swedish pastor was put in prison, the reason.

He preached against the sin of homosexuality, and that is considered crime.

Not so long ago, an army general of the United States had to fight hard to keep his job, the reason.

He spoke the truth one time and talked about how his Christian faith is a peaceful faith,

and may other faith a violent faith.

All of these are just samples of the intense increase of persecution, intimidation, and hatred toward the faithful servants of the living God.

And I will make you a prediction, and I am no prophet nor a son of a prophet. In fact, I pray that I would

be a false prophet in saying what I'm saying. That unless the Lord Jesus Christ somehow intervenes with

the power of His Holy Spirit, sweeping across the land with a revival, a Holy Spirit revival,

not manufactured one.

Things are going to get worse, and the persecution is going to heat up, and the pressure

and the intensity for believers to compromise is going to be like we have never seen in modern

times, or even in past times.

And that is why the message to the Church of Smyrna is a message

of hope. It is a message of comfort. It's a message of assurance. It is a message of encouragement.

It is a message of the resurrected Jesus Christ to all his faithful believers who are oppressed

throughout generation.

It is a message indeed that is given for us most desperately needed today, but I can tell

you it will be most desperately needed in the days to come.

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